


Christmas Dinner

by unknown_knowns



Series: Even better than it sounds [2]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Christmas Dinner, F/F, Fluff, a seagull has a dildo at some point, also some sex stuff is casually talked about, but also Victoria is kind of a bitch, but nothing explicit, it makes sense in the moment just trust me ok, it's fun, just some unspecified point in the future, so there's a lot of banter, they're in LA now, y'know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 10:05:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13144380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknown_knowns/pseuds/unknown_knowns
Summary: Victoria, somehow, invites Rachel and Chloe over for a nice Christmas dinner.Chloe and Rachel are incredibly obnoxious.But there are worse ways to spend a Christmas day.Victoria smiles.





	Christmas Dinner

“And _why_ would I invite them over, again?”

Victoria huffed inelegantly, resting on a stool facing their bar in their kitchen.

One of her hands was rasping impatiently its nails on the surface, typing out an irritated pattern, while Max was behind the behind, cleaning some dishes that hadn’t been used in forever.

Max looked up with a small sigh and put the plate she was working on down.

But she was smiling.

“Because I have a useless girlfriend that hasn’t cooked a day in her life so now I have to make everything and you owe me big time.”

Victoria groaned and leaned forward a little, using her free hand to support her face while the arm rested on the bar.

“But it’s been years and they haven’t changed _one_ bit. Chloe is smelly. Rachel is obnoxious. They _don’t_ have the table manners for a good sit-down Christmas dinner.”

Max rolled her eyes.

“You specifically avoided going to Christmas with your family this year to get _away_ from stuffy people who care too much about table manners.”

Victoria opened her mouth to say something in retort, but really didn’t have anything to respond _with_ , and she just kind of gaped her mouth stupidly for a few seconds.

“Ugh. Fine.”

Max looked down to the plate and considered going back to cleaning, but …

Instead, she walked around the bar to sit down next to Victoria.

The intimacy came automatically and thoughtlessly; Max found Victoria’s nervous hand and intertwined their fingers to squeeze.

Victoria unconsciously shifted her weight more towards Max and her warmth and sat more upright to face her.

Her head was still resting on her palm, though, just more at an angle as she looked to her girlfriend.

“They’re family. You know that.”

Victoria closed her eyes, but appreciated the squeezing of her hand.

Eventually, after a few seconds of consideration, Victoria sat fully upright.

She pulled both of her hands more towards her chest, turned all of the way to face Max, and just leaned forward until their foreheads were touching.

She carefully brought her hands up to run them along the choker-collar Max still wore, closed her eyes, and just breathed easily.

“Okay. You’ve convinced me, Max.”

Max made a thoughtful sound and brought her own hands up to rub at Victoria’s shoulders and sides while she soaked up the warmth from her girlfriend.

“Are you sure? You’re not going to do that … thing, again? Where you just _say_ you’re okay but you’re really not and then comes out like a week later at a terrible time?”

Victoria scoffed playfully.

“No. I mean it. I’ll invite them over. No begrudging. No … none of that.”

Max smiled and gently kissed at Victoria’s lips, and Victoria was happy to reciprocate and gently make out with her girlfriend for just a few preciously warm seconds.

Max then made a little content sigh and stood up.

Victoria watched her get up, crossed her arms, and finally opened her eyes.

Max was smiling so warmly that Victoria couldn’t help but smile herself.

“Thanks. It means a lot to me.”

Victoria made an amused sound, closed her eyes, and turned back to face the bar.

“I know it does. They’re … kind of cute together, anyway.”

Max giggled and started walking behind the bar again to resume cleaning the fancy plates they literally never used.

“I am so telling them you said that.”

Victoria blinked her eyes open and gave Max a _look_.

“You are _not_.”

Max paused to just smile back up at Victoria.

“Yes’m.”

Victoria smiled.

And hesitated, for a second or two.

“I love you. You know that?”

Max returned the smile.

She didn't hesitate.

“I love you too.”

 

\---

 

“Do you want to guess who I just got off the phone with?”

Rachel effortlessly walked into the living room and inserted herself into her wife’s side.

Chloe accepted her happily, but automatically and mindlessly, with her attention more to the TV and the terrible Christmas movie rerun being aired.

“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.”

Chloe drew it out for entirely too long, and Rachel giggled gently since it cute when Chloe was dopey like that.

Eventually, Chloe pulled her attention away from the TV and looked to Rachel, sparing her a quick forehead kiss and wrapping her arm around to tug her more into her side and rub at her shoulder.

“Your dad? Trying to apologize for like, the eight-shit-billionth time?”

Rachel groaned.

“No. And thanks for the reminder he’s still doing that.”

Chloe looked back to the TV.

“You’re welcome.”

Rachel playfully scoffed and gently patted-slapped at Chloe’s belly.

She then thoughtlessly snuck her hand underneath to rub more directly at her skin instead of have the touch denied by annoying fabric.

Chloe always made these cute little pleased sounds when Rachel touched her like this, so it was entirely automatic.

“Jerk. No. _Victoria_ , Chloe.”

Rachel grinned.

Chloe blinked.

“What’d bitchtoria want?”

Rachel giggled softly, and started to rub her face and nose all along Chloe’s neck and breathe against it.

“Us over for dinner.”

Chloe kept on blinking.

Rachel placed a soft kiss to whatever bit of skin was closest to her lips.

“You’re kidding.”

Rachel scoffed.

“Do I ever?”

Chloe rolled her eyes.

“Do you ever _not_?”

Rachel made a pleased sound.

“Touché. But I’m being serious, now.”

Chloe shook her head gently.

“Did you tell her to cram it where the sun don’t shine?”

Rachel giggled.

“No. I said yes. And we’re leaving. Soon. To go to it.”

Chloe groaned so painfully, raising her head up to point it to the ceiling and close her eyes.

“You know I hate these big family things. Why can’t we just have a nice, chill afternoon?”

Rachel sighed gently, though wearily, and closed her own eyes to melt more into Chloe.

She did find her other hand, though, knocking the remote away thoughtlessly so she could steal her wife’s hand and just run her fingers affectionately along it.

“I know, Chloe. But this isn’t David or … James trying to make some annoying family get-together. With like … 800 relatives, 400 of which all want the wine for themselves, 20 of which brought over their little kids and can’t stop reminding you of that. No, none of their family is there. It’s just Victoria and Max.”

Chloe knew she was losing this, but still pouted.

“And Victoria hates me. And you.”

Rachel shrugged.

“Kinda. But don’t tell me it’s not fun annoying her.”

Chloe rolled her eyes, though her eyes closed, but did smile a little bit.

“… okay, it kinda is.”

Rachel smiled, too, sensing she was winning.

“And you have _so_ many stories now … we could embarrass her so easily in front of Max.”

Chloe made a thoughtful, pleased sound.

“You think the story about the seagull stealing our dildo might do it?”

Rachel giggled.

“It totally would.”

Chloe nodded a little bit, grinning obnoxiously now, and brought her face back down to continue watching TV.

“Okay. We’ll go. I’m just not dressin’ up or shit.”

Rachel hummed pleasantly.

“That only adds to your charm, babe.”

 Chloe smirked, and looked down to Rachel.

As much as she could, anyway.

“I love you.”

Rachel didn’t let the moment go.

She released Chloe’s hand, straddled her, and leaned over to give her a firm but quick kiss.

“I love you too, Chloe. Always.”

They both smiled.

Chloe leaned forward –

She kissed again –

Rachel made a complaining noise and pushed herself off Chloe.

“No, no, no no c’mon. We gotta get ready. Save it for later.”

Chloe pouted, but it was whatever.

“Alright, alright. I’ll go put on my _finest_ boots just to classy her ass up when I kick it.”

Rachel giggled.

Chloe smiled.

 

\---

 

“The autobots did _not_ piss on John Turturro. No way.”

The four of them were sitting in Victoria and Max’s apartment.

It was too nice and too big for LA.

This table was probably more expensive than Rachel and Chloe’s entire place.

But at least the atmosphere was kind of nice.

Victoria had up some fancy paintings and these ridiculous roman statue busts.

Max had up some framed pictures of hers and kept the place lively with plants.

It didn’t feel like home, but it didn’t feel horribly uncomfortable, either.

Even if Chloe was the least-dressed of the four, by far.

Rachel just giggled.

“What, do you have the script right in front of you or something? They totally did. They _lubricated_ him.”

Chloe scoffed and put down her fork.

“No I mean I’ve seen the movies like twenty times I _know_ \---”

Max finished chewing her bite.

“--- what do you care, anyway? Whether or not he was …. _Lubricated_?”

Victoria gently flicked Max on the wrist.

“Don’t encourage her.”

Max smiled back at Victoria and Chloe shot her a brief look before answering Max’s question.

“Because that’s nonsense. Sounds like silly hack writing.”

Rachel rolled her eyes.

“Well we _are_ talking about the transformers movies.”

Chloe nodded.

“Right. Lots of robot smashy smashy. Not … autobots pissing on dudes.”

Victoria sighed painfully.

“As _delightful_ as this conversation is, don’t you have … other things to talk about? Other than the eight million movies you apparently watch all day long like some kind of nerdy slob?”

Chloe and Victoria exchanged dirty looks.

Max and Rachel giggled.

Victoria took a sip of her wine.

Chloe was then struck with an idea, and grinned ear to ear.

“Actually. Yes. Yes I do.”

She looked over to Rachel, who was catching on to what Chloe was about to do, while Max just blinked, since she was none-the-wiser.

“Hey babe, remember that time a seagull stole our dildo while we were on the beach?”

Victoria’s eyes widened and she about choked on her wine.

Max thoughtlessly slapped at Victoria’s back to help her while giggling and looking between the two of them.

“ _What_? I gotta hear this.”

Rachel made a thoughtful, but exaggerated sound, and shrugged.

“Why, strangest thing. No I don’t. You’ll have to remind me. With every detail possible, of course.”

Chloe kept grinning.

“Of course.”

She looked back to Max and Victoria.

Victoria, for her part, finally recomposed herself and breathed in harshly.

“ _No_. We are … _not_ interested.”

Victoria looked over to Max, desperate for some kind of backup on this, but Max just smiled and leaned over to give her a quick kiss.

After they separated from it,

“I want to hear it. It sounds funny.”

Max went back to eating, and Victoria groaned.

“Ugh. Whatever. Resume. Just cut out the bit where you two are fucking. I _don’t_ need the mental image.”

She went back to eating herself.

Chloe kept grinning.

It was kind of cute how Max could always get Victoria to just chill.

Maybe chill wasn’t the right word.

“You’re imagining it anyway, though.”

Victoria swallowed.

“Bite me, Chloe.”

Chloe rolled her eyes.

“No-no-no, we agreed, none of that, remember?”

Victoria groaned painfully again.

“Just get on with the story, Jesus Christ.”

Max brought one of her feet over to play and tease at one of Victoria’s, since both of her hands were occupied eating and she couldn’t provide affection that way.

Chloe nodded.

“So anyway. Me and Rach are fucking on the beach.”

Max nodded.

“Like you do.”

Chloe and Rachel giggled.

Victoria could already tell she was going to roll her eyes out of their sockets at this rate.

“Right? Anyway, fuckin’ like pigs and Rach is screaming but uh …”

Chloe put down her fork again.

“… This fuckin … _huge_ seagull, like, no shit, biggest goddamn bird I’ve ever seen in my fuckin’ life just sits down and looks at us like ‘hey girl wassup’.”

Victoria swallowed.

“Birds don’t talk.”

Chloe nodded.

“I’m tellin’ ya’ though it was _definitely_ thinking it.”

Victoria rolled her eyes.

“Anyway, pervy birdy watches us for a little bit and when we realize the fuckin’ thing is just going to … sit there, I try and shoo it away.”

Rachel made a thoughtful sound.

“With the only thing she had on hand.”

Victoria blinked.

“ _No_. You did _not_.”

Max gaped her mouth in shock.

Rachel and Chloe giggled.

“Yeah so like, trying to wail on this beast of a bird with the dildo and like – bam. Son of a whore just pecks it right out of my hand and runs away with it.”

Max finally recovered to laugh at the absurdity of it all, but Victoria just groaned, leaned forward more on the table, and rubbed at her temples.

“I swear to _god_ Chloe, it did _not_ happen like that. I know it.”

Chloe just shrugged.

“Maybe. You’d have to watch us doin’ the do to know any the wiser, though.”

Victoria recollected herself and sat up, shaking her head slightly.

“Gross.”

The three of them – excluding Victoria – just giggled.

Max stopped eating for a little while to bring her hand over to rub at one of Victoria’s.

Victoria suddenly wasn’t in the mood for food, so she happily accepted the warmth, still feeling Max’s foot playing with her too, which was still nice, even if the heel was a little annoying.

“So. That’s the seagull story. Some giant fuckin’ dinosaur of a bird somewhere knows what my wife tastes like and is probably dead now.”

Victoria just sighed.

“And the world is a much better place with this story being recounted.”

Chloe grinned.

“Right?”

Victoria shook her head.

“ _Sarcasm_ , doofus.”

Rachel suddenly interjected.

“Anyway, speaking of wives …”

The three of them – excluding Rachel – blinked in near unison.

Everyone exchanged various looks with everyone else in a hurried, quiet sort of mood.

Eventually, though, the eyes settled on Victoria, as though she was expected to be the one to propose to Max.

She didn’t handle the stares well.

“I … don’t think that’s very much your business, thank you.”

Max didn’t remove her hand, though, just watching Victoria.

In truth, she really didn’t need a proposal to enjoy Victoria for everything she was worth, but she’d certainly been thinking about it for a while …

Just, Victoria’s family, and all …

“They’re family, Victoria. If they want to know …”

Victoria looked helplessly to Max for a few seconds, but then sighed.

Despite her protestations and how obnoxious and gross the two of them were, Victoria _was_ pretty entertained, and it was hard to say this was worse than eating with just Max.

Rachel and Chloe didn’t visit _all_ that often, since the four of them were busy with their adult lives now, but … still.

There was a comfort here, and a certain amount of trust.

She looked back to Chloe and Rachel, and sighed gently.

“When the time is right. Not now.”

She sighed a little, and removed her hand from Max to cross her arms, looking down at her food.

“My dad will probably go nuclear.”

Rachel and Chloe blinked, for once a bit speechless.

Max looked away from Victoria and allowed her her moment of self-protection with the arm crossing to look at Rachel and Chloe.

“He’s um, very traditional. It’s a big risk even just to have me living here …”

Rachel and Chloe looked away from the dinner table to the giant gay pride flag sitting on the wall behind them.

It was a pretty wordless question when they looked back and looked incredulously to Max.

Max shrugged.

“Oh come on. We take that down, obviously, when they’re around.”

Still, it gave the two of them something to think about.

It didn’t feel right to tease Victoria about this.

It just didn’t.

None of their banter was meant to ever get that deep under her skin, and this was … tremendously personal, something that they had been trusted with.

So they just sort of awkwardly picked at their food.

Chloe spoke first, after a few bites.

“Yeah, well. You’re my gay bitchy friend, so. If he has a problem, he can talk to my fucking fist.”

Victoria sighed pleasantly.

“I think … I would enjoy that, actually.”

Rachel smiled at the genuinely tender moment.

“I think between the two of us we can take him out. We’ve fought bigger dudes, probably.”

Victoria smiled, though she still wasn’t looking up, and carefully uncrossed her arms and relaxed a bit.

“He’s like … six feet. I’m not sure about that one.”

Chloe and Rachel both grinned.

“We took out a seven foot basketball player once when he hit on Rachel.”

Victoria looked up from her food, finally.

And smiled.

“I think … I would like to hear that, actually.”

The four of them smiled, and Max spared her a quick peck on her cheek, while Chloe rambunctiously told another story that almost certainly wasn’t _completely_ true, but …

Close enough.

 

Sometimes, Christmas is about gifts, and giving, and compassion.

But sometimes, it’s about family.

And family can mean a lot of things, divorced by understanding of blood and kin.

And as Victoria watched Chloe imitate this massive basketball player and how he totally got the shit beat out of him when Rachel and Chloe tag-teamed him …

She knew she had a family that cared about her, genuinely, and honestly, for once.

It was the best Christmas day of her life, so far.


End file.
